


Women are Lepers

by Yukito



Category: Robin Hood (BBC 2006)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 20:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14553195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukito/pseuds/Yukito
Summary: This is a story that looks at Vaisey's past from my point of view of his character.





	Women are Lepers

His father’s estate was arguably larger than most Barons around England, but his father was never one to be limited by rank or class. If he wanted something, the Baron would use whatever he needed in order to obtain it, whether it was honourable or not. The estate was home not only to a large and prosperous homestead with some village land nearby, but it also contain some open meadows in which the young Vaisey enjoyed most. At home there were only lessons from a strict father whose mood, it was said, had permanently darkened after the death of his mother whom he never knew. As a young boy he would spend countless hours exploring the land of his father’s, dreaming up adventures on which to go on with his imaginary friends – his sister did not like the wilderness much.  
  
At the age of fifteen, on a warm spring day, Vaisey was out riding along the edge of his father’s property. On the outskirts of the land were small homes for some of the servant families who did not dwell directly within the servant quarters. He normally overlooked the houses, as his father had taught Vaisey never to think much of servants except as workers, but today there was a melodious sound emanating from one in particular. It was a sound that Vaisey associated with an Angel’s song and it drew him closer to the house and toward the back where a secluded garden was.  
  
Inside the garden was one of the young servant girls from the estate. Her name was Rose, but Vaisey had never quite seen her in this way before. The sun shined down on her long, golden curly locks and made them seem like real gold. Her aquamarine eyes shone and brought out the soft, pale freckles that dusted her cheeks. The uniform at the house was made of coarse cotton material that did little to flatter the prettiest of them, but today Rose was in a yellow, fluttering sun dress. But what caught Vaisey`s attention the most was that Rose was surrounded by cages of beautiful birds of all different colours. The cage doors were all open and yet the birds seemed content in staying within them while Rose changed their water and hummed happily to them. Vaisey was struck into silence and could only stand there and stare once he got close enough to the dream-like world.   
  
Rose turned around and let out a small sound of surprise when she saw the young Vaisey staring at her. But she did not get mad as he assumed she would. Instead, she smiled at him warmly and held out her ivory arm on which a yellow Finch was perched, chirping happily. “Robin has decided he likes you.”  
  
Vaisey was surprised. “He does?” He seemed to reconsider the bird who looked happy where it perched and suddenly desired to by that bird upon her arm.  
  
Rose spoke again, her voice just as lovely as her song. “Would you like to feed him?”  
  
Vaisey paused. Everything in the young boy’s body cried out to him that he did, in fact, want to. There was only the slightest doubt that hung in the back of his mind, bred by his father for all those years. But his father’s voice wasn’t strong enough and Vaisey nodded. He very much wanted to.  
  
Rose reached out and pulled him into her world. A warm world.  
  
~*~*~  
  
After that afternoon, Vaisey visited Rose whenever the weather was nice and he could get away unnoticed by his father. Soon he even visited when the weather wasn’t nice. What began as visits to feed the birds led to picnics and walks with Rose where he would listen to her sing and he would recite poetry if she asked him to. But as autumn began to set in, his father limited the boy’s outings with talks of work and entitlement to where Vaisey began to see Rose when she was working at the homestead.  
  
One afternoon the Baron was working in his study when a yellow Finch flew into his room. It flew around chirping happily, but its song did not cause the Baron any joy. It, in fact, caused the Baron to be annoyed. The Baron tried to shoo the bird back out the window, but to his dismay, the bird flew through the door and into the hallway. Annoyed, the Baron followed with murderous intent. He was so caught up with killing the bird that he did not noticed where the bird was leading him.  
  
The Finch flew out of the kitchen door. It was only the soft exclamation of ‘Oh! Robin!’ that caused the Baron to look down from the bird to the scene before him. And what a scene it was. Rose was knelt by the garden, pulling the last of the vegetables out before the ground got too cold. While this sight was normal, the presence of Vaisey who was also knelt beside her working with his hands in the garden as well, was not. The sight instantly enraged the man.  
  
He reached for Rose and caught her by her hair, dragging her up to him where she was stuck somewhere between standing and kneeling.  
  
“Father!”  
  
The Baron sneered at his son, manhandling Rose some more as he spoke vehemently. “So this is what you spend your time doing?! You dare to lower yourself by consorting with this servant?”  
  
“But – ”  
  
The Baron continued without break. “But what? You ‘love’ her? Is that it? And you think it would work, do you? You would give up your titled and rank to marry this slut and live happily ever after? A clue – no!”  
  
Vaisey opened his mouth to defend himself, but no words would come out.  
  
His father continued. “She is a servant. An object. She is nothing to someone of our position. She is only interested in your money - don’t you see? She’s cattle. Sheep. Expendable.”   
  
As an example of his claims, the Baron produced a dagger from his side and stabbed Rose through the back. She let out a startled cry of pain that mixed into a horrified sound that came out of Vaisey’s mouth.  
  
He watched as his father held the dagger in. He watched as the light in Rose’s eyes died away. He watched as his father discarded Rose’s body to the ground like garbage.   
  
“I will not have my only son cry over this cow.” The Baron warned as he approached his devastated son. “You will grow up to be a man of power as you are meant to and you cannot do it if you let yourself be manipulated by insignificant things.”  
  
The Baron continued to observe his son, then added at last. “You will accept Fiona’s father’s offer for her hand in marriage. That way, women will not distract you so.”  
  
Then the Baron left before Vaisey could argue. Not that Vaisey could as his knees were weak and his stomach felt empty. He fell to his knees and wept.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rose’s family was fired the same day after Rose’s death and were forced to move away from the small house from which they lived. Vaisey came upon the house a few days later only to discover that the birds had been abandoned and left in the small garden that once belonged to Rose. It was all that was left of her. The birds and their song.


End file.
